I was gifted my copy for the blog tour.
I have previously read and loved Jessica Redland so i was excited to return to Whitsborough Bay for another visit and this was a wonderful read. This story was absolutely packed full of emotion, it really was powerful and i felt many a tear try to escape during this read.

Jemma has found the love of her life in Scott and when he proposes she couldn't be happier, she sets about plans in her head but with his busy work schedule he isn't always the easiest to get hold of.
When life throws a massive curveball at Jemma she is left desperately seeking answers and her life is thrown into turmoil further with family struggles.

Sam has his future all planned with his fiancee. he has his career and a lovely home and their wedding is all planned but tradgey strikes him and all that is taken in away in minutes. He flees struggling to deal with the turn his life has taken.

This is a powerfully emotive story that tackles some series deep issues, and as much as i love a light hearted seaside read this is so much more because of the nature of it. Sam and Jemma are wonderfully written and your heart aches for them as they battle their own issues whilst supporting each other. The friendship they share together is open, honest and raw and i loved watching the pair develop together after such tough times.

This was a wonderful read that really packs a punch.

Jessica Redland has quickly become an author whose books I know will transport me into one of her magical worlds. As soon as I read the blurb I couldn't wait to pick this up and what a treat it was.

Jemma is a character that you would love having in your friendship group as she is so kind hearted and you know she would have your back. This was one of those books where once I started reading real life just kept getting in the way as I was so keen to keep reading.

The story highlighted some real life issues and immersed you in a wonderful group of people who were all wonderful friends to Jemma when she needed them most.

A superb story that made me laugh and left me with eyes damp around the edges as you navigate love and loss. One of my favourite stories by this wonderful author so far and I have loved having the opportunity to read and share my review

This is an emotional story full of angst and loss but mitigated by the strong community ties and friendship at times of need. Jemma and Sam are the main protagonists, and the story unfolds from their perspectives. Initially, separate their stories intertwine as their lives implode.

The character-driven, insightful and immersive writing draws the reader into the characters' lives.
The world-building creates an authentic setting that is easy to imagine from the sensory imagery used.

Relatable characters and contemporary issues are interwoven into a story of friendship, loss and starting over.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

When life gets you down, look for the break in the clouds🌤

What a sad and yet inspiring novel! Sam and Jemma's touching relationship is a story of facing challenging times and moving forward with the help of family and close friends. I love the way author Jessica Redland builds complex characters and realistic situations for her Whitsborough Bay residents.

Both Sam and Jemma come from Whitsborough Bay but end up meeting in London and quickly click, finding it easy and natural to lean on each other for comfort, support and inspiration. Both go through major disappointments in love and are reluctant to face new heartache with another partner. It's refreshing to have the lead characters in a romance not racing to bed.

Jemma has the additional burden of her mother Julie's life-changing medical issues. This subplot was dealt with sensitively and actually gave me a better understanding of Parkinson's and the physical effects of extreme and prolonged stress on the patient and their family.

I discovered Redland's works last year and have never been disappointed when I grab her latest novel or a new edition of an older one. Redland focuses on emotions, the importance of community and connection, and does it really well. This one was particularly touching and had a lovely, uplifting end.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

So far, the only book I have reviewed by Jessica Redland is Finding love at Hedgehog Hollow and I also did a blog post about the Whitsborough Bay books.

All You Need is Love is a book about trying to find forgiveness, moving on from lost love and the quest to find love again.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and found Jemma and Sam's story heart wrenching romantic and sad as they had both had to come to terms with difficult pasts. The writing flows well and Jessica Redland has a very relaxing writing style which I like.

As the book blurb says, it certainly was emotional and uplifting.

I have more of her novels on my list.


Thanks to Jessica Redland, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4.5 stars.

A beautiful story of love and loss, and how different types of grief resonate in different people.
I loved the overall storyline, how each character faced the challenges they had set upon their path, and how those paths intertwined.
The beginning did take me a bit to get through, although that could simply be a ‘me issue.’ I felt like the way Jemma dealt with her situation with Scott, was absolutely understandable, and felt it could be relatable for a lot of people.
Sam was just an incredibly likable character. From the minute he stepped onto the pages, I loved him.
An absolutely beautiful story.

This is an emotional story of love, loss and friendship that I really adored. The book centres around two characters, Sam and Jemma, who have both experienced loss and how they work their way through the emotions this brings and begin to move forwards. The book alternates between their two perspectives and gradually brings them into each others lives.

There is so much more to this book than the typical 'chick lit' story and that is such a big part of why I enjoyed it so much. The storyline tackles some difficult topics incredibly sensitively and brings a huge amount of realism to the whole cast of characters. All of the characters felt really developed and I was really invested in so many of their lives and the challenges they faced. Jessica Redland's writing style hooked me in from the start and although the story wasn't always light-hearted, it was really easy to read.

This was the first Jessica Redland book I have read and I now want to read all of her books!

This was previously released under a different title and I must have missed it as I just adore Jessica Redland’s books.
This was no exception. A story of love, loss, health problems and with a hint of cuddly bears. This was an emotional story of Jemma and Sam who had both suffered different types of loss and how they navigate those losses and try to come out the other side. I found this wasn’t as light hearted as other books by the author as it covers some heart-breaking topics which are close to my heart. The ending was perfect. An emotional read with many life lessons to be had. As always, I thoroughly recommend Jessica Redland and all she has to offer.

This book was previously published under another title, which I must have missed. Beautifully written, lovely characters and a few 'will they, won't they' moments.

This was an emotional read telling the story of Jemma and Sam. Told from each of their perspectives, Jemma and Sam have two different stories. What they do have in common though is that they are both on their own and have been devastated by what has happened to them. Jemma had happy plans for the future with her fiancé Scott until he drops a bombshell on her. Coupled with a worrying diagnosis for her mum, Jemma is definitely having a rough time at the moment. Sam is a doctor, and he is having to cope with the grief of losing his fiancé suddenly. Whilst they don’t initially know each other directly their stories are brought together. They are both lovely characters and really suit this storyline.

I have to admit, this wasn’t as light-hearted a read as I first imagined. Some of the topics covered in Jemma and Sam’s stories are heart-breaking and I found myself close to tears with much of it! The story did begin slowly, building their backgrounds up, but picked up pace as the story moved on. I loved the other characters within in the book and felt they all added their own element to the story. Jemma’s mum’s storyline was particularly sad, and even though I knew where it was going from the beginning, I found myself hooked into it. I was a little confused at the beginning with the switching between Jemma and Sam’s storylines as I couldn’t work out how they were connected but all was explained fairly quickly. Their relationship was lovely and I really hoped as the book continued that they could both move on from what had happened to them.

I’ve read a few of this author’s books and I have really enjoyed them. This was no exception, and I absolutely loved the ending which was a fitting and perfect closure to that part of their lives. The setting of Whitsborough Bay was beautiful and I loved the Teddy Bear theme! It was a very emotional ride through Jemma and Sam’s stories, but one which left me with a warm feeling in my heart and a smile on my face. Sensitively written and full of life lessons just waiting to be learnt, I would definitely recommend this book.

Loved this book!
It was so nice to see that through so many ups and downs, and going through some much in there lives they still fins some happiness. This story flowed so well and was a real joy to read. I read it in a day, for me that shows i really loved it.

Them: "Don't judge a book by it's cover"
Me: "Ooh look, it's got a cute camper van on the cover, I have to have it!"

Yep, the entire reason I read this book was because I thought the cover was cute and it had a camper van on it!

This was my first novel by Jessica Redland and since reading I've come to learn it's actually a re-release of a book previously published under the name Bear With Me. I'm so glad it was rereleased by Boldwood books otherwise I may never have stumbled across this amazing author.

I'm not going to regurgitate the plot, you can read the synopsis for that. What I will tell you is that Jessica Redland has created an amazing cast of characters, led by Jemma and Sam, they have both had so much to deal with in their lives that from the minute you are introduced to them you desperately want them to get together. You know it's going to happen but the joy in reading is in the how they get there, which is obviously not straight forward.

What Jessica Redland has achieved with this book is extremely clever, she has taken some really heavy and devastating themes but treated them with such care and respect that this is still a feel good novel that gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling. I don't think that contemporary women's romance writers (aka "Chick Lit") get anywhere near enough credit for being able to pull off books like this.

On completing this book I've downloaded two of her other novels (finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow and New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow) as I've noticed that she has a new release coming out in May which is a follow up to these and I now want to read everything that Jessica Redland has written!

For very different reasons Sam and Jemma have been left broken hearted. When they are introduced a firm friendship is started, neither of them are looking for anything more as they are each trying to recover. However the chemistry becomes hard to ignore, but are they strong enough to move away from the pan and start something new?

Jessica Redand is one of my favourite authors. Her novels deal with real issues with grace and honesty.

This was the first of Jessica Redland's books that I've read - but it won't be the last.

The story of Jemma meeting Sam and how they overcome loss together, whilst getting to know each other, was just beautiful. I must admit, that I struggled to get in to the story during the first few chapters, but then all of a sudden I was hooked. The book was an easy read and I will definitely be recommending it to friends.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

All you need is love - Jessica Redland

A good read, but I found it so frustrating in the beginning, after how "Scott" treated Jemma and she just needed a shake most of the time due to how she was dealing with it. I must admit I had to put it down a few times and come back to it as it annoyed me, but wanted to see the final outcome. Sam's story just broke my heart. I liked how the two intertwined. Overall I felt it was a nice easy read, and would 100% read more from Jessica Redland

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for allowing me the chance to read and review this book

WOW, this book is deserving of higher than a 5* rating in my opinion, I loved it. A beautiful story, wonderfully written. This story will take you on so many emotional journeys, laughter, love, loss, lies and illness all written about with such sensitivity and understanding. Some books that you read stay with you way after that last page and for me, this is one of them. Please grab yourself a copy and enjoy.

A beautiful story of love, loss, and being open to the possibility of finding love again. Both Jemma and Sam have lost the future they thought was theirs: Jemma is suddenly and inexplicably "ghosted" by her fiance, and Sam's fiancee dies very suddenly. A secondary storyline is how Jemma deals with her mother's diagnosis of Parkinsons, and the changes that brings to their lives.

Jemma and Sam are two people who had been in very happy relationships but for very different reasons are both now single and devastated. The story unfolds from both their points of view. Jem’s mother owns a teddy bear shop called Bear With Me and she passed the love of the cuddly toys onto Jemma, which led to her career working in London as a museum curator. Sam Jones is a doctor in a London hospital and yes he’s heard all the Indiana Jones jokes. Both are originally from Whitsborough Bay. I do love the setting of Whitsborough Bay and have read most of Jessica’s books set there now. I very much enjoyed spotting characters from the other books as they occasionally appeared in this book.

Circumstances throw Jemma and Sam together and they soon become firm friends, understanding and caring for each other and both so supportive. I loved watching as they began to take tentative steps towards a relationship. I so wanted this to happen as they both deserved a loving relationship. But every time it seemed they were close to taking their friendship to another level, life kept throwing obstacles in their way. It was also lovely to see how important the support of their other friends were to them, as both Jem and Scott had so much to cope with. Friendship is often a theme in Jessica Redland’s books and it is very apparent here just how important good friends are, whether to offer a shoulder to cry on or sometimes to offer hard truths.

I have to say, one thing Jessica Redland does so well is a beautiful ending. In every single one of her books, the ending has been exactly what I hoped for and has left me with a big smile on my face and a happy glow inside. If you love feel-good, uplifting fiction and haven’t discovered Jessica’s lovely writing yet, what are you waiting for? I’ll finish with a line from near the end of the book, a line I think speaks to many of us in today’s present circumstances.

“When things seem bleak, all you need is love; someone to shine some light through the darkness”

I really enjoyed the return to Whitsborough Bay and Castle Street, even though half of the book was set in London. The main characters, Jemma and Sam, narrates alternate chapters giving the reader an understanding of their feelings and emotions. The storyline gives these characters some major hurdles to overcome and the reader is exposed to some tragic events.
However, this is ultimately an uplifting story, well written with great characters and with deft touches of humour. If you have not discovered Jessica Redland yet, then this book is a great one to start with.
Who can resist a comic book hero, teddy bears and the stunning Yorkshire Coast - not me!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

“Absolutely Fabulous”

This was “an emotional, lump in throat/crying” read.
You definitely need a box of tissues handy.

There was a few quotes I loved - one being - Dad hated bears, Mum hated golf, and I was pretty certain they hated each other.

I read this book in a day, unable to put down. The storyline was so captivating that I had to finish the book..

I absolutely loved all the characters, Jemma and Sam’s path was like they were on a route to find happiness only to reach heartache. Ever time I thought they were finally getting it right, but didn’t, I was frustrated for them.

.I felt the story easily followed, and held my attention.

The references to Flash Gordon/Thor/Indiana Jones and the Deputy Head Bear-Keeper were adorable. .

Absolutely Fabulous.